Ariel Urges India’s Sons to Take Up the Slack in New #ShareTheLoad Campaign

BBDO India and Ariel have released the latest iteration of their #ShareTheLoad campaign which urges families to take a more equitable approach to the division of domestic labour.

The original campaign featured a conflicted father watching his daughter run around after her husband, juggling a career with the burden of looking after all domestic tasks – this then leads the older man to reflect on how little he has helped his wife with the housework. 

The new spot shifts focus to a mother, who slowly realises that she’s been passing down unequal lessons to her son and daughter. As her daughter tells her over the phone that she is quitting her job as her husband won’t help with chores, the mother at first questions how her son-in-law failed to learn how to do housework… before realising that she herself has neglected to teach her own son. 

Produced by Offroad Films, it was shot by director Gauri Shinde who is a well-known feature and commercial director. And for a campaign that’s all about splitting tasks between the genders fairly it’s particularly apt that the team have opted to work with a female director whose debut feature was a touching exploration of her relationship with her mother.

Sonali Dhawan, marketing director, fabric care, P&G India, said that the team were keen to take the original idea further and really examine the roots of domestic inequity. “This year, we reignite conversations to go deeper into the cause of this disparity. In the context of right upbringing, we urge this generation of mothers to be the changemakers for the future, and raise yet another pertinent question – are we teaching our sons what we have been teaching our daughters? If sharing the load is taught at an impressionable age, it becomes a part of their value system. As a mother of a boy and a girl, I truly believe this is possible. I also believe that with Ariel it is possible to simplify the lives of consumers and a happier household is one where both men and women share the load. Ariel encourages men to do their bit and take up tasks like laundry because anyone can get impeccable cleaning with Ariel, no matter who does the laundry.”

Josy Paul, chairman and chief creative officer, BBDO India, said: “Ariel’s #ShareTheLoad has grown into an active movement for gender equality at home. It has generated greater emotional equity for the brand and has triggered a positive change in society. It is one of India’s most recognised and awarded advertising ideas. We are excited to launch the next phase of the movement. The new campaign is based on an uncomfortable truth that’s so true for today. In the film, the mother’s realisation of an unspoken social conditioning and her determined resolution is thoughtful, sensitive and a big leap for society. Her simple action gives men one more reason to share the load at home.”

While it’s a campaign created specifically for the Indian market, the implications are pretty universal as we’ve all met our fair share of pampered princes incapable of lifting a finger.